1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to roll-up industrial doors and in particular to roll-up industrial doors made from a woven fabric.
2. Description of Related Art
Roll-up doors typically are used in commercial or industrial establishments to separate different areas of a building or to separate the inside of the building from the exterior. For example, roll-up doors may be used to separate two areas or zones which have different temperature or humidity conditions. Roll-up doors are also used to provide noise and/or security control between two areas. A roll-up door has the advantage of being capable of being moved rapidly between the open and closed positions. In opening the door, the door panel or curtain is typically wound on a drum located above the doorway.
Conventional roll-up doors include a counterbalancing mechanism to counterbalance the weight of the door panel. Conventional roll-up doors also incorporate a tensioning system which is arranged to exert a downward force on the door panel to stretch the door panel when in the closed or partially closed positions.
Roll-up doors may be power operated and include a drive mechanism. Operation of the drive mechanism in one direction will uncoil a door panel from a drum to move the panel to a closed position. Operation of the drive mechanism in the opposite direction acts to wind the panel on the drum and move the door panel to an open position.
Conventional metallic roll-up doors are expensive, cumbersome and easily susceptible to denting of the door material. Non-metallic roll-up industrial doors are made by coating a synthetic fabric with a PVC or other suitable resin. Such doors provide limited security advantages in contrast to roll-up metal doors. However, fabric door panels generally provide a more attractive appearance. Also, due to the flexible nature of a fabric door panel, fabric panels are less susceptible to denting or other damage as compared to a rigid door panels.
It would be desirable to provide a roll-up door which is flexible, light, simple to manufacture and offers increased security features.